Things I Never Tire Of

Snowflakes and mittens, warm cozy kittens . . . Oops, I'm sorry. Those are a few of my favorite things. Last week I made mention of how I never tire of reading the Bible. I asked readers to comment on those things they never tire of. No one commented. Maybe I seemed holier than thou by my statement on reading the Bible. I hope not. It's nothing I'm ashamed of saying. Several times last week as I was doing some pretty intense study I was reminded of how much I enjoy studying the Bible. I had lunch today with a friend whose job duties have taken him out of the pulpit and he commented on how much he missed the opportunity to do that kind of study each week.

Well, I promised to give my thoughts on why I enjoy reading the Bible so much. So here they are. WARNING: some may be tongue in cheek so withhold any harsh judgments on that basis.

1) I'm a pastor - I have to enjoy it
2) I'm a pastor, so I have learned to enjoy it
3) I'm a pastor, so I have developed the skills that help me enjoy it.
4) As a Christian, I had to read it so it grew on me
5) It's actually good stuff. You have violence, daring heroics, supernatural happenings, romance, and enough soap opera type material to fill a full season of The Jerry Springer Show (seriously!).
6) It really is applicable to my everyday life. Really, it is.

There is an element of truth in every reason above. The average person reading this may not think that all of these reasons would fit their lives. I'd argue that they would. Everyone can learn to enjoy it. Everyone can learn the "skills". If you read it, it will eventually grow on you. Coincidentally, after posting last week, I had a conversation that very same day with someone who made mention they don't enjoy the reading part all that much. Ideally they would like to, but they do not believe they will ever come to the same point as I. We'll see if that remains true. That person is actually putting in considerable effort.

There's nothing particularly insightful about this post. But it some serious thoughts about our faith journeys. Somewhere on our journeys, reading the Bible has to become part of it. No one has to become a Ph.D quality Bible scholar overnight. Any growth is growth. Give it a shot. I think you will find you also will never tire of it.

"These are a few of my favorite things"

Segregation anyone?

Today is the day our government has set for us as a country to officially honor the life and work of a true civil rights hero - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not everyone is excited about such an observance. Personally, I wonder how much farther he could have led us if his life had not be tragically taken in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

I hate segregation. Always have. Yet I'm always amazed at the human creature's propensity to segregate itself. I used to teach high school math in Charlotte, NC. When you looked at a map of the city, it was amazing at how well we had segregated ourselves into black and white halves of the city. That would have remained true even if you had taken out all of the sections of public and low income housing that were "intentionally controlled" to "keep them in their place". Because we black and white folk decided to segregate ourselves, kids were taking one hour bus rides in order to ensure diversity in the student population.

You see it on a global scale as well. No matter how hard we work to destroy societal, economic, or even civic barriers to integration, the human creature will always retreat to its fall back position - self-imposed segregation. We really prefer to be with people like ourselves. It's not always race that decides that affinity. It might be economics, political ideology, or religion. The more areas you can find in common, the more likely you are to become a group, maybe even a closed group.

Today I was part of a discussion with some fellow pastors and denominational leaders about this issue of segregation. No, we didn't discuss Dr. King. We didn't talk about Sunday morning being the most segregated hour of the week either. We discussed things like church membership. How closed or sectarian should something like that be? There are a lot of good opinions on all sides of that issue.

It should be noted that segregation is not always a bad thing. I don't really want to sit on a plane full of TB patients if I can help it. Some would argue that some type of segregation in the church is appropriate. Of course, we don't call it that. We call it membership. What should be the appropriate requirements for membership? Is it appropriate to have another set of requirements for those in leadership?

If you read this blog and have never posted, this is one I'd like to have your thoughts on. Don't give the popular answer or the one you think I'm looking for. Don't worry about whether or not it's right "biblically". I'm curious about your thoughts. That's what this blog is all about - thoughts that influence our faith journeys. And just to make you feel better, I'll turn on the anonymous commenting just for this post.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been, although that's highly unlikely. It's been three weeks since I last posted. I haven't been on vacation that long, although that would be nice. I've just been busy doing other things like teaching my boys how to skin and gut a squirrel, doing some offline writing for a change, trying to earn all 99 gold bricks on Lego Star Wars II, and just thinking about important things like purpose. I've been pondering the state of the church today and how to make it most effective at fulfilling its purpose. I've been thinking about my own purpose in life as a husband and father, and as a pastor.

I also been thinking about the Bible. The title of this post has double meaning. It asks the question that only my mother cares about. It's also the title of the George Clooney film released in December 2000. I love that movie and everything about it. The soundtrack is great and has some wonderful bluegrass music. I love how it is the most creative interpretation of Homer's Odyssey I have ever encountered. This is a great contemporary representation that stays true to the original story. I think that speaks volumes about the timelessness of the themes in the original epic.

The Bible is like that. Many people in my church are trying to read through the entire Bible this year. Some have shared with me how much better they understand its parts as they read it as a whole. Others have shared how amazing it is that stories and sermons written two to four thousand years ago can be so applicable to today's life.

During my fight with insomnia last night, I began to think about how I never tire of reading the same stuff in the Bible. Right now I'm studying a couple of different books in the Bible that I have pretty thoroughly studied several times before. I am amazed that I am seeing new things this time around. I am also struck by the fact that I never get bored with reading these same stories over and over again. I can probably count on one hand (maybe two hands) the number of other books besides the Bible for which I feel the same way.

I've got some thoughts as to why that paragraph is true. I promise I won't wait three weeks to post them. Before I do, I'd like to hear from you what things you never tire of and why. I'd like to hear why you think the Bible's that way for me.

And just in case you are wondering, I have 60 of the gold bricks. If I'm unable to sleep tonight, I'm going to turn on the PS2 and earn another one!

Seeking part 2

Last week while showing off my light sabre, I made mention of the assurance that if one was truly seeking a genuine Christian faith journey, it would be found. This week I'd like to go back to that same theme. Traditionally, the Sunday after Christmas is a day to focus on the Wise Men and their part in the Christmas story. Here are some thoughts I shared with my church on Christmas Eve about the Wise Men. Sorry for recycling, but I am on vacation . . . .

Two thousand years ago, a group of learned scholars set out from a country somewhere in the East, probably in the vicinity of ancient Babylon. To best of our estimates based on what we know about history, current scholars estimate that they found what they were looking for approximately two years later. I am talking about the Magi, the Wise Men, who followed a star looking for a king. At the end of their search, they found the child Jesus. I wonder if they ever wondered whether they would find what they were looking for or not.

We do not know with certainty a whole lot about the Magi. Throughout the centuries we have speculated and created a whole set of stories around them. At some point we began calling them the Three Wise Men because there were three gifts. Along the way, someone even gave them names. In modern representations, we have even insured the diversity of their representation as we typically portray them as one man of Asian descent, another of African, and the third of European. They have been worked into our traditional television Christmas specials like The Little Drummer Boy and in historical epics like Ben Hur. But all this is merely speculation.

There are some things we do know about the Magi that can help guide us in our search today. We know they were searching for a king. The child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas came so that he might be our king. He came so that we might give our allegiance to him and let him rule over us in love. This king is not harsh, demanding, or despotic in anyway. He is not absorbed by his power or position. In fact he gave up his position and power so that he might dwell with us. He is the kind of king that all of us would want to serve.

We know that in their search for this king, the Magi got a little off track. They began looking for this king in the obvious place – Jerusalem. When they began to inquire on the whereabouts of this new king, they learned he was probably in lowly Bethlehem. It may not have made sense to them, but they went on anyway. They would not give up the search no matter how long it took.

We know that these Magi were guided by a great light – a star. Even when they got off track and began to look in the unlikely places for the king, the star confirmed when they got back on the right track and went ahead of them, guiding the way. We know that they found what they were looking for. They found this king to be and presented him with precious gifts, worthy of a king.

Tonight as we ponder and celebrate the birth of Jesus, what are we looking for? Are we really looking for a king or are we looking for something that will give us warm fuzzies and make us feel good about what may still be a fractured relationship with our God? I can assure you that the same thing that drew the Magi to Jesus is the same thing that draws us. We call it many things – guilt, unfulfillment, emptiness, desperation. But it all comes down to looking for a great light to shine in our darkness. A great light drew the Magi and guided the Magi. A great light draws us to him, the one who would be our king if we would let him.

Like the Magi, we may get off track in our search for him. We might be looking where we think he should be instead of where he really is. But if we trust in the light he has given us and follow that light, we will find him. You might think you will never find him but I promise you that you will. He came so that he might be found. He has not hidden himself. He has given us a great light so that we might know where he is. You cannot hide in the light.

At Christmas we celebrate his birth. We celebrate the light he brought into the world and the light he shines into our lives. We celebrate the light that guides us in our search for him and the light that continues to guide us into paths with him. We celebrate the unlikely king, found in the unlikely places. We celebrate because he will be found.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!